Improvement in nut-crackers



C. B. MARTI N.

' NUT-CRACKER. No ,174,14Z, Patented Feb. 29,1876.

N PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. MARTIN, OF SOUTHINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT .lN NUT-CRACKERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. I 74,142, dated February 29, 1876; application filed January 24, 1876. 1

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MARTIN,

' of Southington, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in N Lit-Crackers and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in coir I and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, side view; Fig.2, section on line war.

This invention relates to an improvement in instruments for cracking nuts, the object being to adapt a single pair ofjaws to the cracking of various kinds or sizes of nuts; and consists-in aprincipal jaw made adjustable upon a bar, combined with a jaw hinged to the same bar to act in conjunction with the said adjustable jaw, and provided with a spring, the tendency of which is to throw the said second jaw from the adjustable jaw; and, further, combined with a calnlever forming one handle, and the bar forming the second, the cam lever hinged to the bar, and operating so that, by bringing the two handles together, the hinged jaw will be forced toward the fixedjaw, all as morefully hereinafter described.

A is the bar upon which the fixed or adjustable jaw B is set. On the-bar are several notches, a, and thejaw B is constructed with a tongue, d, to set into either of the said notches, and from the fixed jaw on one side of the bar a bolt, C, extends through a slot, D, in the bar, and is provided with a thumb-nut, E, on the opposite side, as shown inFig. 2, whereby the jaw B may be firmly clamped in a position corresponding to either of the notches a. The bar A is extended to form one handle, and on the bar near the jaw B the from the jaw B, but this spring may be ar-' ranged in other position, it only being essential that a spring of some character be provided to turn the jaw G away from the jaw B.

L is a lever hung to the bar upon a fulcrum, b, and extended to form a second handle, N, corresponding to the other handle F. This lever is constructed with a cam, P, to bear against the rear side of the hinged jaw G, as shown, so that by drawing the two handles together, as indicated in broken lines, the jaw G will thereby be forced toward the jaw B, and crack the nut placed between the jaws.

By the adjustment of thejaw B through the notches a nuts of various sizes may be cracked, thus adapting the single pair of jaws to the cracking of various sized nuts.

1 am aware of the construction found in the Patent No. 24,238 of 1859, and do not wish to be understood as claiming anything therein contained.

I claim- As a new article of manufacture, a nutcracker, consisting of the handle F, also forming the bar A, the adjustablejaw B arranged thereon, the vibrating jaw G, hinged to the bar of the handle F, the second handle N hinged to a projecting fulcrum formed on the handle F, its forward end terminating in 1116021111 P, and working upon the vibrating jaw G, the whole constructed and operating as described.

CHARLES B. MARTIN. Witnesses:

JOHN D. BALLOU,

EDWIN W. RICHARDS. 

